Upon hearing her words, Tedmond’s face twitched in irritation at the tone she used to talk to him now that he was in the helicopter. The frown on her face was gone, replaced with a playful smirk.She had recognized him, even after pretending she hadn’t when they were outside the helicopter. Did that mean she played along with his lies to help him, too? But why? Was she going to ask a favor of him or something?If that was the case, he could help, as long as it was something within his power.“Tedmond!” Kevin yelled, loud enough for him to hear. “Are you going to leave me like that?! I got so many clicks from that article, and it could earn much more. Are you going to make me delete it and lose the money?!”Closing his ears, Tedmond’s eyes darted back to Perseia. “We should leave. Now that you know my identity, I don’t intend to reveal it to anyone else.”Perseia grinned. “Alright, let’s leave right away.”Ronald and Harry were still outside with Kevin, who kept insisting on seeing Ted
Her question sounded like a challenge. It was as if she dared him to acknowledge her authority over him—not because of their family ties but because she was older than him."Why would I spy on your family?" she added, not waiting for him to respond. "Do you have any proof that I did that?"Tedmond scrutinized her. She was nothing like the woman described in the file he had read about her. It claimed she was reserved and rarely spoke much, yet here she was, talking a lot."I don’t need proof," Tedmond declared. "If I say it, it’s true. If you hadn’t paid attention to the Washington family, you wouldn’t know who I am."She frowned. She had hoped to steer him away from her surveillance of the Washington family, but he had seen right through her. She had been monitoring them, searching for a male heir her age but had been disappointed when she only found a 19-year-old heir."Fine," she said, tired of pretending. "I do have spies around the Washington mansion. One of them is a pen I left i
Perseia stared at him. She had told him not to delete the posts, but he went ahead and did it. She felt like punching him in the face but knew she couldn’t.“Since it’s all settled,” Tedmond said, “drop me off. I can't go along with you all anymore.”Perseia frowned at him. “Our compensation hasn't been met yet. If you want to leave, you’ll have to open the door and jump right out because I have no intention of dropping you off.”“What?” Tedmond asked. “Are you intending to kidnap me?”She shook her head. “Far from it. Since you need someone to act as your baby mama, I have someone who can. She’s only a year younger than you.”Tedmond considered it. Was she making him an offer? And who was she talking about? But since she had taken the initiative to find a person who could pretend to be his baby mama, he had no choice but to accept it.“You shouldn’t refuse,” Perseia added. “It’s compensation for ruining my reputation, even though it will be cleared up later. The person I’m introducin
Tedmond stared at the guard who had just commanded him to leave. The guard glared at him, brow raised in contempt, eyes watching him like he was a pest.“Arrgh,” Tedmond grunted. “I can’t believe I’m being called a beggar by guards like you…”“The hell?” a guard yelled. “Who do you think you are?! Do you think walking in here and talking big will help you? My month's salary could buy you.”“Hurry up and leave.”“If you don’t leave in a minute, we’ll throw you out.”Not wanting to waste any more time on them, Tedmond's face turned serious. He still had classes to attend and didn’t want to miss any since he needed the attendance for his grade. But he could tell he might not make it to his last class.“Get out of the way,” he said. “I’m here to meet Persis. I don’t think that’s so hard to understand since I’m from the Washington family.”The guards' eyes widened in surprise, and soon, they burst out laughing. Their laughter echoed, gripping their bellies as they doubled over.Tedmond’s b
Persis’s brows furrowed in confusion as she and Tedmond stared at each other. His jaw dropped; he hadn’t expected to see her there. The person who had stood up for him in class was a Damon.That was the last thing he expected. Was she also keeping her identity a secret? From how she behaved in class, he never would have guessed she was a Damon.He wondered if she knew he was and had stood up for him because of that. He shook his head—that couldn’t be the case. He hadn’t even known she was a Damon, even though he’d reviewed her sister’s files.He peered at her, and seeing the same surprise on her face made him feel a bit relieved. She had no idea he was part of the Washington family either.“What are you doing here?” Persis asked, confusion laced in her voice. “And did you just say you’re a Washington?”Tedmond nodded. “That’s right. I’m the new head of the Washington family, and I’ve come to see you after making a deal with your sister.”Hearing her sister mention it, Persis flinched.
“Where am I?” he questioned as his eyes opened.He was lying on his back in bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. The ceiling was blurry as he stared at it, and he couldn’t see the background either.“What happened?” he asked, forcing himself to sit up.His vision cleared, and he found two women sitting next to him. His eyes widened in surprise, and it suddenly hit him where he was. He was in a room, and the people sitting next to him were the Damon sisters.What’s going on? he thought. Did I fall asleep?“You’re awake,” Perseia said, staring at him with a blank look on her face. “It’s been an hour. I really thought we killed a Washington.”Tedmond stared at her, then shifted his gaze to Persis. She looked away, pouting, with no hint of apology in her eyes.Putting his hand on his chin, Tedmond tried to remember what had happened before he fainted. He knew he didn’t just fall asleep. Within a minute, the memory flooded his mind, and his eyes widened.“You hit me! Didn’t you?!” Tedmond y
Tedmond was shocked to hear her ask that. After a few seconds of silence, he leaned back against the seat and sighed.“What the hell are you talking about, Persis?” he questioned. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”Persis frowned at him. “I’m serious. I’ll only help you if you agree to get engaged to me.”Their eyes met as soon as the words left her lips, and he slowly rose to his feet. “I guess I don’t need your help anymore,” he said.Persis’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean?”“I said I don’t need your help anymore. Engagement is a huge deal, and I’m not interested in putting myself into an engagement of convenience.”Her brows rose. “Are you saying that you can’t get engaged to me?”He nodded. “That’s right. I can’t get engaged to you.”A frown crossed her face, and she ran a hand through her hair, frustration building. Had she been too direct, asking for an engagement out of the blue like that?At this rate, he would figure out her feelings, and she might
Tedmond raised his brows, freezing in shock. “What?!” he bellowed.He had just turned down her offer of engagement, and now she was bringing up marriage?Didn’t she realize he wasn’t interested? He looked her up and down, taking her in.Persis wasn’t unattractive; she had long, wavy black hair, light brown eyes, and pouty lips that matched her pointed nose and face. He’d be lying if he said she wasn’t appealing, but he had no interest.“I asked you to marry me,” she replied. “Get married to me, and I’ll pretend to be the baby mama of your cousin. If an engagement is too much for you, marriage wouldn’t be so bad, right?”Tedmond peered at her, confusion clouding his features. What was going on with her? He wondered if she’d even heard what he’d said earlier.“What are you talking about?” Tedmond asked. “I turned down your offer for engagement, and now you’re asking for marriage? How am I supposed to explain this to you when you don’t seem to understand anything I’m saying?”Persis shoo